This always makes me laugh. Trains are still an integral part of Japan's culture and infrastructure. Have you ever seen any anime or Japanese TV shows? Trains are everywhere! Super Sentai (the source material for Power Rangers) even did a whole series based on just trains.

 

Let alone the numerous individual mecha based on trains, like in GogoV and Magiranger

 

Hell, every time Transformers has gone Japan-exclusive trains show up, like in Car Robots with JRX (though it was eventually adapted to RID) and Transformers Go! with their Optimus Prime who was a train/dragon. It's like every time TT get to do their own thing without conceding to Hasbro's markets they're like "thank God we can make trains again!"  

 

And then there are other Takara ventures like Brave, which had trains in nearly every series (the main mecha of Might Gaine being a train combiner even), and Webdiver who's main toy was a big ass locomotive. They really like them choochoos

 

Believe it or not, I've had no interest in researching how popular trains are in a country I dont particularly care about...

 

Great opportunity to learn about the world  

 

Well, if it weren’t for Japan then TFW 2005 wouldn’t exist and you wouldn’t have been able to share that lack of interest with us.  

 

This

 

Man, it would have been so nice for him to not have shared his self-glorified lack of interest I almost wish japan didn’t exist.

 

This...Why is that Western collectors always culturally appropriate everything?...

 

It's fine, don't let the "Japan! rah, rah!" here bother you, as it's true that while doing trainbots makes sense from a Japanese marketing standpoint, it doesn't change that from a Transformers brand focused standpoint making MP Raiden first before say literally any other G1 combiner, especially say Devastator, is a puzzling decision.

I'm sure Takara has their reasons, and I think more will become clear about all of that once the figure is actually revealed.

 

Well to be fair, if a Western company hadn't appropriated Diaclone and Microchange toys for their market we would never have had the Transformers in the first place.

 

I am personally dying for train and bus transformers.

That being said, a lot of know it alls on here called out a dude for not being interested in Japan and the train culture. That is his opinion but what is fact is early rail transport was pioneered by Greece improved upon in Europe and culminated with the steam engine in Britain. So the next time you want to call out appropriation, please know what you are speaking about.

 

Give up on it? For real? Just because they haven't shown anything yet? They did a big press release, I don't think they can just quietly bury it...

After years of watching Takara, I've come to the conclusion that when they say they're "working on" something, they mean they just started working on it earlier that same day. So I'm not terribly concerned that progress updates are taking a while.

 

I dont see the problem, all I did was say I didnt get the character choice, then one person educated me... and everyone else has been a dick about it.
What's wrong with someone outside of your echochamber that's not particularly interested or knowledgeable on the subject expressing such?
It's not like I said anyone who likes japan or trains are idiots, I just said I wasnt interested in the subject, therefore I couldnt understand why takara would pick such an otherwise obscure character for their premium toyline.

 

easy friend. Maybe I was too much.  

 

I wasnt trying to call you out in particular, just more so addressing everyone in one comment. Sorry if It came off as if I was directing it all towards you.

 

Sorry if either of my responses came across as rude, that wasn’t my intent.

 

Yeah that’s how I think about it as well. There’s no real way to know how fast they’re even working, so I try to be as forgiving as I can with release dates on any figure.

 

I believe the focus in this thread should remain firmly on trains. Takara Tomy drives the whole Masterpiece line and the only market Tarkara Tomy cares about is Japan. Their total focus is selling these toys (in this case Masterpiece) to the Japanese market.

Love the Japanese or have no interest at all, if you want to understand the Masterpiece choices then you need to understand the Takara Tomy focus on the Japanese market. Knowing the Japanese love of mass transit it becomes clear why Raiden would be the first MP combiner. It's the obvious choice for moving into a new class of figure compared to Menasor or Devastator. If someone has no interest in Japanese culture then they'll never be able to fathom the decisions that TT makes. Jeebus bless international shipping that makes it possible to collect a niche Japanese collectors item because Hasbro has 99% of their focus on CHUG and don't really care that much about MP.

I'm hoping this all goes well and that Devastator would be the next MP Combiner. I definitely have a lot more love for my first and only combiner (as a kid) and would love to see anyone improve on Constructor.